Firefighters in Jamestown, N.Y. Sound the Alarm on Understaffing

The Jamestown Professional Firefighters Association says for the past two decades under Mayor Samuel Teresi's administration, the city fire department has been seriously understaffed, creating what it calls an "unnecessary risk" to residents.

Monday, September 9th 2019, 6:25 PM EDT

Firefighters in Jamestown, N.Y. are sounding off about understaffing, which they say has lead to safety concerns.

The Jamestown Professional Firefighters Association says for the past two decades under Mayor Samuel Teresi's administration, the city fire department has been seriously understaffed, creating what it calls an "unnecessary risk" to residents.

Since 2009, Shawn Shilling, president of the association, says calls for emergency service to the Jamestown Fire Department have steadily increased while the number of firefighters available to respond have decreased.

The association is calling on the City of Jamestown to step up and meet the minimum national safety standards for the citizens of Jamestown.

"After two decades, they need to understand the risk," said Shilling. "This union has consistently asked how can we help. We've been met with either silence or resistance."

The fire department says there are currently nine fire fighters on duty per shift while the industry standard calls for 13 to 15 members.